Regrets and Riddles - Book 1: Origins
by Lou.nygma
Summary: Carina Maroni is called from London to help her Uncle on a project in Gotham. She is an expert hacker who is brought in to team up with the extremely charming, but equally infuriating - Enigma. Set in Arkham Origins Universe, I may play fast and loose with canon. Eddie Nashton - Arkham Origins/Oswald Cobblepot - Gotham faceclaims! PLEASE SEE MY PROFILE FOR UPDATE!
1. Chapter 1 - New Beginnings

_I fucking hate flying, how much longer am I going to be stuck in this tin can?_ I thought to myself, I was trying to distract myself with music, but it was a task I was failing miserably in. It wasn't a completely irrational fear to have, but as someone who took great pride in her logic, and knowing the realistic odds of actually being involved in a plane crash, it still terrified me. A 7.5 hour flight from London to Gotham was going to be an incredible test for my patience and anxiety.

Travelling business class was actually a great help, the costs were covered by my Uncle who was flying me out to help him with a project for a few months. He wasn't a saint by any stretch of the word, his Mafia connections had been well established when he was still a teenager, and now — from what information I could get from various government databases — he was now a Mafia boss in Gotham who held a lot of power and influence. I trusted him implicitly, so even with minimal information regarding this job, I agreed to do it.

The last time I saw him was at my parents' funeral; I was a scrawny, awkward thirteen-year-old, with a boyish haircut and lopsided bangs, who spent all of her time on her computer or reading about the most bizarre subjects. I had always had a compulsion to learn more, if I heard something mentioned that I didn't have any knowledge of, I would study it until I knew the Ins and Outs of it all. In short, I had a compulsive need to learn more and imbibe as much knowledge as I possibly could.

Not much had changed in fifteen years; I still spent my life buried in books and technology. After I graduated High School and University, I now made significant amounts of money hacking, and procuring digital information for questionable parties. I intentionally isolated myself from my peers as I had an extremely short temper — which some of the kids in school liked to provoke — that more often than not resulted in me taking a beating, I was known as a wild card that people didn't mind steering clear of.

I had grown into myself as I hit puberty, and now as I woman I had grown out my hair, had my bangs cut to the side, and took great pride in my appearance. I still carried a little too much weight on my stomach and backside but I had given up trying to rid myself of my 'squish' and embraced it - for the most part. I had however gained a confidence in myself that usually threw people when they realised what I did for a living, most people expected a bumbling nerd with low social skills, what they got **was** a nerd – but one who swore like a sailor and always picked a fight with the biggest person just to prove a point. I had tried on several occasions to learn how to fight and to channel my rage into something that could help me, but I didn't have the patience for it. I could throw a punch and I fought dirty, and that was as far as my skills got me. I did enjoy people underestimating me, playing the clueless bimbo had helped me more times that I cared to admit, but as woman in this day and age you have to use every tool at your disposal in this world. So if it worked, I used it.

I heard the muffled announcement through my headphones that we would soon be descending into Gotham International Airport. Taking a deep breath I prepared myself for landing.

* * *

"We have arrived, Miss Maroni"

The gruff voice jolted me back into consciousness. I hadn't realised I had fallen asleep on the drive from the airport to the hotel, and I woke up feeling a little out of sorts. The one request I made upon accepting the offer to go to Gotham was that I had my own hotel room while things were being set up. I could have stayed with my relatives, but I needed my own space and I needed privacy. Hacking and playing Xbox in your underwear at 3am isn't something you can fully commit to when you're living with family. So my Uncle had hooked me up with a penthouse at the Gotham City Royal Hotel, flown over all my tech and kit beforehand so when it was ready to get set up, I didn't have anything to worry about.

My driver had come to pick me up at the airport – having a black Rolls Royce arrive to collect you isn't something that happens often for me. I was more of a questionable taxi type of girl, but I certainly wasn't going to complain.

"Thanks, Frank." I yawned "Although there's no need for formalities, please call me Cari."

His eyes met mine in the rear-view mirror, I saw him raise his eyebrow at the suggestion addressing me so informally.

"Fine." I sighed and rolled my eyes "At least call me Carina? Miss Maroni makes me sound like I'm about to get arrested."

I heard him sigh, and there was the briefest twitch of a smile on the edge of his mouth.

"We have arrived… Carina" I could tell he was reluctant to call me by my first name due to the pause right before he said it, although I was pleasantly surprised that he did.

"Attaboy, Frankie." I grinned "Now, let's get these bags upstairs."

* * *

"Yeah the flight was fine, no problems at all. Thanks for getting me Business Class, it made the flying much easier to bear." I was relaying the uneventful trip to my Uncle; he had called an hour or so after I had arrived, and was full of questions. "Yes, all my things are here, I have spent the last hour staring at the cases, wondering if I should unpack. This hotel is pretty chic though, I didn't know you had quality hotels in Gotham." I looked around at the plush suite, still finding things that impressed me about the room.

"Well, I will see you tomorrow night. I will come and pick you up at 9pm, and we can have dinner and drinks, there are a few people you will need to meet, then we have a meeting regarding the project right afterwards. Plus, I have a little surprise for my favourite niece." From the soft chuckle in his voice, I knew he was up to something and there was no chance of getting him to tell me what it was.

_I hate surprises._

"Okie Dokie. I will see you at nine." I replied, not knowing how to respond to the mention of a surprise.

_ God, I sound so ridiculously English sometimes._

"Now, get some sleep. Goodnight my dear."

"Goodnight, Sal"

I threw my phone onto the bed, and looked around at the bags that filled my room and let out a huge sigh. I fell backwards onto the bed and lay there in silence until I heard the sound of the elevator making its way up to my floor. The bell to the elevator pinged and I heard a solid knock on the door. Someone had sent room service up, assuming it was my Uncle showing-off, I tipped the attendant after he set my food and drink on the sideboard and grabbed a handful of strawberries from the fruit platter. When I had finished eating I changed into the most comfortable clothes I could find — shorts and an oversized jumper and made my way back to the table. I grabbed the chilled bottle of white wine from the ice bucket, poured myself an extra-large glass and started to drink. The cold crispness of the wine instantly relaxed me and I felt the tension in my shoulders start to ease with each sip. As I drank, a note sitting next to the ice bucket caught my attention - it was addressed to me, and I recognised the elegant swirled handwriting instantly.

_'Cari, I hope you had a comfortable flight. Please enjoy the food and wine, it's on me. Yours, OOC.'_

"You sneaky devil." I said out-loud. "How do you always find me?"

I re-read the note and smiled, he was adorably bizarre sometimes. Oswald Cobblepot or Ozzy as I liked to call him — much to his annoyance — was one of the few people I considered a friend. We met not long after the death of my parents, both of us outcasts amongst our peers, he was a few years older than me but a friendship still blossomed. He became the constant in my life and I was fiercely protective of him, I started many a fight with people who thought it was acceptable to bully him, although it resulted in yet another beating for me, I couldn't stand to see him hurt. Just like every other man in my life, he was regularly involved in questionable business practices. I needed to maintain an element of trust with him as he was always extremely paranoid, so I never intentionally researched into what he was doing with himself now. I had come across the occasional titbit when gathering information on other people, but everything else I knew about him, had come from his own mouth. It had been a few years since I had seen him last, we had dinner in London and he told me he was getting involved in something big and he would see me soon.

Five years later, we would only ever exchange the occasional message and phone call; he would always send me flowers on my birthday and the odd surprise gift – like today. Although any interaction between us was now short and sweet, I still had an unshakeable soft spot for my old friend, and just seeing his handwriting had raised my mood significantly. The only thing I knew about him now was that he was known as 'Penguin', I wasn't sure if that was a name he had picked for himself, or a moniker he had embraced. He had spent some time in Gotham in the past, but I never thought to ask if he was still there.

After spending 10 minutes or so eating fruit and staring at the note, I finally put it down, grabbed the bottle and my glass and made my way into the bedroom, finishing my drink as I walked. After pouring myself another, I set them both down on the bedside table, and I gathered my dark wavy tresses and tied my hair into a giant knot on top of my head. I took out my book from my carry-on bag, settled into bed and covered myself with a blanket.

_It's my first night in Gotham_. I thought. _Here's to new beginnings._


	2. Chapter 2 - Shut Up And Drive

I woke up to my phone vibrating on the bedside table, it sounded like someone was drilling in the street and created an irritating pain through my skull. I moved my head slightly, I realised that not only I was incredibly hung-over but my face was stuck to the pillow with drool.

_Why do I do this to myself?_

It took me a few moments to realise that whoever was calling me had no intention of hanging up, so with my eyes still closed I fumbled towards the buzzing sound, knocking the wine glass from the table.

_Fuck, I hope that was empty._

"Hello?" I asked groggily as I finally found my phone.

"She lives! Good Morning sunshine!" chirped the voice of my cousin Pino. "I've been trying to call you all morning. It's almost noon!"

"Morning, Pino. Sorry, a combination of travel exhaustion and Chardonnay must have sent me into a slight coma." I opened my eyes and after wincing at the trickle of sunlight creeping through the gap in my blinds, I noticed the empty bottle. "I polished off a whole bottle to myself last night, I'm regretting it now."

"You're such a fucking lightweight, I thought you Brits knew how to drink?" he laughed

"Fuck off, Pino." I snapped. I was nowhere near what people would call a 'Morning Person'. I was notoriously grumpy until I had showered and had a very large coffee, most of the time I didn't sleep so I didn't have to deal with being irritated by everything after waking up.

Pino let out a thunderous laugh that made my head pound and my stomach churn. "Come on, you're coming shopping with me and Rosa. I need to buy her a dress for this thing with Dad tonight. Fresh air and shopping will do you a world of good, it's my treat anyway. We will come and pick you up."

As much as I wanted to stay in bed and nurse my hangover, I knew I had to buy a dress for the evening. I was remarkably close to my cousin, due to him spending just as much time in London as he did in Gotham. So seeing him, and finally meeting his girlfriend didn't seem so bad.

"Fine." I sighed "Give me an hour; I need to shower first. Also, make yourself useful for once, bring me a coffee. Double shot, caramel macchiato, in the biggest size you Yanks provide."

"Got it, Titchy. See you in an hour."

I could almost hear him smirking as he ended the call, he called me Titchy purely to try and irritate me. I was 5'2" and considering he was a 6'2" walking Italian wall who was almost as wide as he was tall, the height difference was always a source of amusement for him.

I stayed in bed for a few minutes more to let the room stop spinning before I made my way to the bathroom, grabbing my toiletries bag and a few towels on the way in. I turned on the shower and stood in front of the mirror while I waited for the water to heat up and wondering if I was going to throw up what little I had in my stomach. Glancing at my reflection I shuddered, I looked just as terrible as I felt. My hair had come loose in the night, and was now a frizzy mess on my head, my eyes were bloodshot, I smelled like sweat, and I had dark circles underneath my eyes that made me look like a corpse. Dried drool was crusted on the side of my mouth, and I had a pretty impressive red crease mark down the middle of my face. I needed to work so major magic if I was to be seen in public in an hour.

_Why do I drink? I can never handle my drink. _

* * *

"One coffee, just as the lady ordered." Pino was leaning against his car, and handed me a huge coffee. I couldn't hide the joy in my face as I took a large gulp along with the two aspirin I had brought down with me.

"Thanks cuz, you have no idea how much I need this" I smiled at him as he stretched out his arms and pulled me in a giant bear hug.

I had finally made myself presentable enough to go outside, I had tamed my hair and tied it back into a ponytail, put on minimal make up to hide the exhaustion showing on my face and dressed simply in dark skinny jeans, tall brown boots and a navy sweater. I had completed my look with much needed large sunglasses, to hide how bloodshot my eyes actually were. The sun was beaming and it was a surprisingly mild day considering winter was fast approaching. The only indication that it was late autumn was the rust colour of the leaves and the occasional bite from the wind.

"So, what's our plan?" I asked before taking another large gulp of the sweet caramel nectar I held in my hand.

"Well, I was thinking get the shopping part over with, and then maybe grab a late lunch? I can drop you off back here once we have finished and you can get all your girly shit out of the way before tonight."

"Sounds good to me, is Rosa joining us?" I had realised that his car was empty and there was no one else in sight that could possibly be his girlfriend.

"She's meeting us there, something came up and she had to run home. Don't worry, she will never miss the opportunity to shop, the woman owns enough clothes god knows why she needs more." He rolled his eyes, as I let out a giggle.

"Count yourself lucky you have a date for tonight. You won't have to put up with the constant barrage of 'Why are you single?' and other inane questions." I was already mentally preparing myself for that onslaught. A woman of 28, with no husband or boyfriend, it still seemed strange to people in this day and age. So much so, they needed to constantly poke their noses into my personal life.

"Well if you weren't so damn picky, you would probably find someone." He replied, walking around to the driver's side of the car and opening the door. "I can't remember the last time you went on a date with someone. Well, someone other than Ozzy anyway. You went on a lot of dates with him if I remember right; I thought that was a thing?"

"Those weren't dates; it was just friends having dinner. Friends need to eat too you know?" I said matter-of-factly as I sank into the soft leather of the passenger seat. "We aren't like that. There is no… thing." I said waggling my hand at the word 'thing'. I tried to make that sound as believable as I possibly could, but I may have protested a little too much. There was a time when I thought something serious could happen between Ozzy and I, but with his unshakable paranoia and my temperamental nature, it was a disaster waiting to happen. We had our moments and he was extremely sweet, polite and always looked out for me, but I now accepted the fact that all we would ever be is friends.

I wasn't shy, and I had no problems with letting someone know I was attracted to them, but more often than not the shine wore off sometimes as quickly as the morning after – resulting in some extremely awkward conversations in the light of day and the false promises of 'being in touch'. As Pino had pointed out, I was incredibly picky – but only when it came to actually having a meaningful relationship with someone, and had a checklist of qualities that needed to be completed before I even considered getting close. I wasn't willing to settle for anything less than perfect. I wanted magnetism, fireworks, chemistry, and passion. I wanted to be consumed in it all, I wanted a challenge, someone who could hold my attention for longer than a few tumbles. I needed a man who I could relate to on an intellectual level, someone who would never be dull, and someone who had no issues with my past and the things I had done. I would never admit this to Pino, he would continue to see it as me setting my standards too high, and it would give him more ammunition to tease me with.

"Lie all you want, Titchy. I don't buy flowers and buy dinner for girls I see as friends." He looked over at me with a raised eyebrow.

"That's why you have no friends who are girls, and why you have trouble holding on to girlfriends. Although, funnily enough he sent me room service last night and a note. He knew I was in Gotham, did he speak to you?" I inquired

"Nah, I've not heard a peep from him in a while. He never talked to me much anyway, he was more your friend than mine. What did he say? 'Oh Cari, come run away with me a live a life of crime, we can be like Bonnie and Clyde.' Or something like that?" He did the worst English accent I had ever heard, to an outsider they would have had trouble identifying what the accent was supposed to be.

"You're such a dick, and by the way, we do NOT sound like that, your accent sounded Indian more than it sounded English. No, he just said that he hoped I had a good flight. It's been five years since I've seen him though; I'm starting to think I won't ever see him again." I said, with only the slightest hint of sentimentality to my voice.

A massive grin broke across his face, and he pinched my cheek "Aww, how cute. You're missing your not-really-a-boyfriend." He burst into laughter at the scowl on my face.

"Just shut the fuck up and drive. You're making my headache worse." I slapped him hard on the shoulder, then I groaned, rubbing my forehead when the realisation that the slightest overexertion would make me feel worse.

Pino continued to laugh as he started the car and pulled into the road, and I prayed the aspirin would kick in soon, before the urge to kick him got too much.

* * *

I looked in the mirror and was finally satisfied with what I saw, three hours of trying on different dresses, and screaming at my hair for 'not going right' had paid off. I was wearing a short, 3/4 sleeve, dark-green, sequinned dress, with gold shoes and a gold clutch. My hair was left loose and fell just below my shoulder blades, and I had smoky black make-up that brought out my hazel eyes to finish the look. It had been a long time since I had dressed up and gone out on the town, it had also been even longer since I had worn in heels. I was notoriously clumsy in heels, so it usually ended in grazed knees or a sprained ankle. My confidence was soaring, even though the mention of a surprise was niggling at me and threatening to send my anxiety into overdrive. I frowned as I looked at the scar that ran along the length of my left eyebrow, I hated that it was there but at least it served as a reminder that I would never let myself be pushed around by people again.

A soft knocking drew me out of my thoughts and towards the apartment door. I was greeted by the sight of my Uncle - Salvatore Maroni. Dressed as sharp as ever in a dark grey suit, black shirt and smart black shoes, he looked like hadn't aged a day since I'd seen him last. His salt and pepper hair was brushed back without a strand out of place; he was immaculate in every sense.

"Carina!" He grinned, extending his arms out towards me and pulling me into an embrace. "Wow. You have grown so much; you look just like your Father."

"Did he like to dress like this too? I never knew that about him." I teased "It's good to see you Sal, you're looking good."

"Thank you, sweetheart. Now, no time to stand around and chat, we have to get going. People are already starting to arrive and I want us to be fashionably late, but not so late that we miss anything good." he had a mischievous look in his eyes, and let out a huge laugh as he saw me eyeing him suspiciously. "See, it's funny — you have your Mother's attitude too. She gave me and your Father that look more often than I would care to admit." he winked and guided me out of the door.

"Yeah, there was probably good reason! Let's get going, I want to find out what's going on. I hate not knowing what's happening." I said as I strutted towards the elevator and pressed the call button more times than was necessary.

"Definitely just like your Mother" he laughed as he joined me in the elevator.


	3. Chapter 3 - Play Nice

A/N: I was going to wait until tomorrow to post this chapter, but I am already getting feedback and I think after 3 chapters people should get an idea of whats happening (kind of). Thank you already to people who have followed/favourited, I am amazed that anyone would want to after only 2 chapters, so thats why I am posting this third one. This is the first time I have published ANYTHING so I am extremely nervous, and I know it's going to sound silly when I say - Please be nice! I will be posting every Friday (hopefully) so this one is now a day early. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Sal took my hand as I stepped out of the car, and into the chilly autumn night. The cold air suddenly hitting my skin brought out goosebumps all over my body.

"We have arrived." He stated as he guided me towards the doors of the club.

I looked up at the name and repeated out loud. "The Iceberg Lounge?"

"It's one of the only classy places people of our... reputation, can get a good drink and an uninterrupted dinner. Trust me, you'll love it." He smiled at me as the doormen nodded at us as we approached.

I walked through the doors and the sound of soft jazz, and a slight cloud of cigar smoke filled the air. The place itself was huge, tables serving dinner were dotted around, a dancing area the size of a ballroom was set at the back, and several bars serving drinks lined the sides. I could already hear the raucous laughter of my cousins and their acquaintances, coming from a large table towards the back of the room. Several darkened booths were dotted along the upper levels, and a large glass window on the upper central wall overlooked the whole place, I guessed it was the manager's office. The whole place was decorated in ice blue and white, and adorned with plenty of glass and crystal, it was possibly the grandest place I had ever been to.

"This place is gorgeous, Sal. Do you all come here a lot because I could seriously get used to a place like this?" I gushed as I ran my hands down the marble staircase leading to the tables.

"We are here as often as we need to be. Besides, having a friend who owns this place has its advantages."

As we walked towards our table several of my cousins and their friends stood up to greet me. After a lot of hugging, and cheek kissing, I took a seat between Rosa and another woman who introduced herself as Candy.

I tilted my head towards Rosa, "God, I need a drink already, I think I need to catch up."

"Someone will be along in a second; they're really good here for keeping you topped up." She smiled. I took a few seconds to admire the softness in her face. Kind blue eyes looked back at me, and her curly strawberry blonde hair gave her a child-like innocence that was completely endearing. I never expected someone as sweet as this, to be with someone as loud and brash as Pino. I guess they brought out the best in each other as they were extremely happy together, and just being in their presence made me slightly optimistic that I could find someone who I could be like that with.

I jumped as someone placed a glass of champagne in front of me; I turned to thank the waiter only to be greeted with a familiar face, a face that I never expected to see smiling down at me.

I blinked several times while I took it in before I cried out "Ozzy!" I jumped up and threw my arms around his shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug, almost knocking over several of the drinks that were at the table. He laughed as his arms tightened around my waist, he lifted me off my feet slightly, and kissed me on the cheek letting his lips linger for a few seconds longer than I expected. This was greeted by whoops and whistles from several of the already drunk men at the table. "What the hell are you doing here?" I asked as I put my hands on either side of his face, looked into his eyes and checked that it really was him.

"I'm in Gotham permanently, this is my place. I finally decided to lay down roots." He said proudly, gesturing to the building. "Salvatore told me you were coming here, so I thought I would surprise you."

"This is your place?" I repeated gobsmacked. He nodded.

"I knew Sal was up to something." I said, still beaming from ear to ear. I heard the soft chuckle coming from my uncles direction. "You're such a little shit, for not telling me though." I said to Ozzy as I lightly rested my forehead on his and looked into his eyes, the butterflies of affection for him returned to my stomach. I turned to face Pino "I suppose you knew this too?" I pointed, squinting at him.

"Of course, that's why It was so much fun teasing you earlier." he winked.

"Teasing you?" replied Ozzy

"Never-mind, he's just being a tit as usual." I said, trying my hardest not to blush and slapping Pino hard on the shoulder.

"I was right though." I heard Pino mumble as he rubbed where I had hit him. "You didn't have to hit me." He pulled a mock sulking face that drew laugher from Rosa.

"You probably deserved it, now leave her alone." Warned Sal.

"Take a seat, beautiful." Ozzy began "Let's have some dinner, and then we can talk business."

* * *

He watched from across the far end of the table as she jumped out of her seat and into Cobblepots arms.

_He is such a lucky bastard. _He thought to himself. _He already has Candy and Tracey at his beck and call, and now he has another woman throwing herself at him. I wonder what his secret is? _

He didn't take his eyes off her as she talked animatedly at Maroni and Cobblepot. She obviously knew him well, as they were incredibly comfortable with one another, and he had never seen him ever embrace someone like this in 2 years he had known him. Sure, he would let Candy drape herself over him and put on a show, but this was different, this was intimate. He watched as Cobblepot held a firm grip around her waist, and she placed her forehead on his. He had to admit that her smile was incredibly charming, and even a little contagious. Watching how excited, and how adorably animated she was, drew the slightest of smiles from him before he forced himself back to an impassive look.

He heard a whisper around the table that she was Maroni's niece from London.

_Maroni's niece? I was told she was the girl that they wanted to come in on the job they had planned, and that she was to work alongside me. This couldn't be her, she couldn't possibly be the tech-genius they had talked about. _He furrowed his brow and knocked back the last of his beer. Pushing his glasses up his nose he jotted a note down into his leather notebook.

_Find out more information on the girl._

* * *

Champagne in hand I sat at the table in Ozzy's office. We were joined by Sal, Pino, Tom - who I knew was a friend of Pino's, Candy and Tracey – who I knew from London, and another man who I didn't know who sat right at the back of the room. A few doormen were dotted around, stood at the walls like silent protectors. As I took a sip of my drink I could see the man at the back staring at me out of the corner of my eye, his intense stare made me slightly nervous. He was dressed in a white shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows, dark purple sweater vest, a green tie, and dark green slacks. He wore fingerless gloves, and from what I could make out, he was also wearing two watches.

_Two watches? Who the hell is this guy?_ I thought, trying not to let him know through my body-language I was feeling uncomfortable under his gaze.

"Right, now that we are all here." Ozzy began leaning back in his chair "Let's get down to business."

I set my drink down, and sat back in my seat, looking intently at him as he informed us of the plan. His stern tone made me realise that he was extremely serious, and that at this very moment, he wasn't my friend — he was my employer. I knew he wasn't telling us the whole story, just as much each of us needed to know at that moment in time, and what we all needed to do. Candy, Tracey and Tom were to arrange shipments of weapons and explosives coming into Gotham, and Sal and Pino had to recruit trustworthy guys to work alongside Ozzy's own crew, get government officials on our payroll, and call in favours from several senators and judges. That's when his eyes met mine.

"Carina, you and Edward..." he pointed to the man at the back of the room "...are to gain access Blackgate Prison's security systems, and all Government and City databases. I need you to control everything, a light doesn't change on the roads without one of you two knowing about it. I need both of you due to the sheer scale of this task. Edward has worked for me before so I know he can do this and Cari, I trust you and know your abilities. I know you won't let me down." I nodded and smiled slightly at his compliment. He continued to talk "You two will be working together, so I have set up a secure HQ for you both to work from, so please play nice." He glared at Edward, and I guessed that the last comment was for him.

After talking through a few more things that needed to be done, and talking with the only two girls in the room. That's when Ozzy suggested we move out to the booths to enjoy the music and the rest of the evening. As everyone else filed out of the room, I watched him pull Candy towards him, she smiled at him as he ran his hand down her backside, and he whispered something in her ear before they started to walk away. I felt the tug of jealousy in the depths of my stomach, bile rose in my throat and I heard my heart thumping in my head. She was extremely beautiful, tall, long dark legs that she showed off in an extremely short dress, gorgeous dark hair that she elegantly tied back in a bun, and she had a twinkle in her eye that I knew he liked in a woman. I glared towards the now empty door as I downed my drink and I stood to follow when I was hit by the sudden realisation that I was drunk, again.

_Drunk two nights in a row, I have terrible self-restraint. _

I walked towards the door, wobbling slightly in my heels and legs feeling like jelly. I was in such a rush to catch up with everyone else, and so blinded by this sudden onset of jealousy that I didn't notice until it was too late that I had bumped into someone. My shoulder bounced off their chest, and spun me around 360. Preparing my face to hit the floor, I closed my eyes and held my breath bracing for impact. After a few seconds I realised that I not only was I not falling, but that someone had caught me. I felt the tight grip of an arm around my stomach, and I was hanging in mid-air.

"I fucking hate heels." I muttered.

I heard a laugh, and my eyes followed in the direction it came from. I was met with a cocky smile that curled up on the side of a devastatingly handsome face — Edward. His messy brown hair was casually brushed back, and I could see intense dark green eyes staring at me through his glasses. I let out the breath that I had been holding in since I tripped, and when it escaped my mouth it sounded remarkably like a swoon. I cringed as he raised a single eyebrow at the noise.

_Nice one dickhead, now he thinks you're some swooning idiot. _I chastised myself.

"It's not every day I get women falling at my feet. I could get used to this, note to self: Heels and alcohol make it easier." he said cockily, setting me gently back down onto my feet. "I don't believe we have been properly introduced, I'm Edward."

_Say something Cari._

For some reason I had lost the ability to talk. I just stood there, mouth agape like a fish gasping for water. The combination of alcohol, almost falling and a sudden surge of emotions had cut off the ability.

"Are you all right?" he chuckled

_For the love of God, say something!_

He raised his eyebrow again.

_SPEAK YOU IDIOT! My mind screamed at me_.

"Y-yes, I am. I mean, I'm fine. I'm sorry, I am just so clumsy sometimes, add alcohol to the equation and I am a walking catastrophe. I am also a terrible excuse for a girl, who can't walk in heels." I replied, feeling the blush creep up from my chest. I suspected I was turning an unflattering shade of beetroot due to the heat I felt on my face. "I'm Carina." _The stumbling, stuttering mess, _I added internally.

"Well, you managed to speak, well... it was more of a stutter. But at least that means there's no serious damage from your would-be spill. Although, I must admit I am finding it extremely hard to believe that you have the skills that Oswald claims you have when you haven't quite mastered the simple task of putting one foot in front of the other." I could see that he was now taunting me by the return of the cocky smile; I didn't react well to taunting.

_What the hell is this guy's problem? _I thought as I could feel the annoyance building up.

"Luckily, I don't have to convince you of my skills. I..."

"Oh, but you do." he interrupted, slowly moving into my personal space "You see, I need to know that I am not going to have someone working for me who is an imbecile that has trouble logging on to her social network sites without the need of carer. I need someone with actual skill." His stare felt like it was burning a hole into me.

"Working for you?" I snorted "I am not some ditzy fucking intern who's there to make you coffee. Please don't delude yourself into thinking you have any influence over me." I puffed out my chest, clenched my fists and stared right back into his eyes, I knew full well that physically I wasn't the least bit intimidating, but I needed to stand my ground nonetheless. "I know exactly how good I am, it's your abilities I am starting to question. I don't even know who the fuck you are, and you introduce yourself by acting like an asshole?" I sneered.

He pointed a finger and me and opened his mouth to respond when a voice from the doorway interrupted.

"When you two have finished shamelessly flirting, would you care to join the rest of us for a drink, or am I going to have to get the hose?"

Our eyes stayed locked on each other for a few seconds longer while I considered smacking him in the mouth, before we both turned to look at Ozzy, who was leaning in the doorway with a mischievous grin on his face.

"We weren't flirting." We both snapped. We looked at each other again after saying the same thing at the same time. He muttered something to himself as he pushed his way past Ozzy and into the hallway.

"Oh I must have been mistaken. I thought you had taken my comment about playing nicely a little too literally, sonny." He replied sarcastically.

Ozzy caught my arm as I tried walk past him and pulled me towards him. "I thought I was the only one you flirted with. It's not fair to do that in front of me sweetheart, it hurts my feelings." He whispered in my ear and my body shuddered as his breath tickled over my skin.

"Ozzy, don't be silly." I said flippantly. Trying to ignore the rage that was still pumping through my veins, I assumed he was joking until he tightened his grip on my arm and stared at me without saying another word.

"I wasn't flirting, ok? He was pissing me off, he's lucky I didn't smack him one." I snapped as pulled myself from his grip and walked into the hallway.

I heard him laugh as he watched me hurry to the booth, my face still crimson. I sat down with the others and noticed that Edward wasn't there; I assumed he had stormed off in a huff and wouldn't be coming back. I sat there seething and tried to ignore the heat that still lingered across my stomach from where he was holding me, and avoided Ozzy's stare from across the table.

_I wasn't fucking flirting._


	4. Chapter 4 - Quid Pro Quo

A/N: Sorry guys that this one might not be as exciting, but we have to build things up don't we? Thank you again for all the reviews and follows/faves!

* * *

Three weeks had passed and he was still annoyed with himself that he had allowed himself to argue with Carina, he was mostly infuriated that she had argued back and challenged him. She was feistier than he had initially thought, but he already had a very clear idea of what buttons to press to get her worked up, after-all they were the same buttons she could use on him. All he had to do was question her intelligence and skills, then - BAM! She blew up like a volcano. He had taken a few days to find out everything he possibly could about her, everything from her life in London, her qualifications — which he found surprisingly impressive — to the numerous jobs she was suspected of being involved in, and any Intel the authorities had on her. Although to them she was known only by her handle — Sigma — they were too incompetent to figure out who she really was. He however, had more than enough intelligence to get the information he wanted.

She was staying in the penthouse suite at the Gotham City Royal Hotel, and he had taken the opportunity to stake it out for a night or two, watching her from a building across the street as she sat at her computer until 5am most nights. He tried to ignore the fact that she spent most of her time walking around in just underwear and a loose fitting shirt, to him there was nothing sexier than a woman launching a full-scale cyber-attack dressed in very little, but he was not going to let his attraction to her distract him no matter how frustrated this image of her left him. He noticed that she also played a lot of Xbox, and she would watch the original series of Star Trek before falling asleep. He concluded that she was almost a big a nerd as he was. She had dinner with Oswald a few times where they were extremely tactile and affectionate with each other, and went to the movies and shopping with her cousin's girlfriend, that was the only real social interaction she had. She seemed to like her alone time, and liked to keep herself isolated. Unfortunately for her, that was about to change.

He had repeatedly tried to hack into her network and access her computer, but she was a tricky little minx and was far too smart for her own good. After hours of frustration, and pounding his fists on the desk like those brawny Neanderthals he loved to humiliate, he concluded that he needed more time and to do this the old fashioned way. He needed to get closer to her, find out exactly what she was about, she was already consuming way too many of his thoughts, and he couldn't understand why. That's why today would be the perfect time to start to his plan, today was the day they officially started work. He closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, soaking up the quiet buzzing sound coming from the vast amount of technology that was set up inside the new HQ. He heard the grinding sound of the elevator slowly making its way up from the ground floor, and a few minutes later he heard footsteps approaching, he took a deep breath as he felt slight flutters in his stomach and prepared for her to enter the room, and his life for the foreseeable future.

* * *

I saw him leaning back in his chair in front of several consoles, his eyes were closed, but his arrogance and superiority were already radiating through the air. We were on the top floor of a warehouse, that was surprisingly well decorated and cosy considering its location. There were no windows, but there was a kitchen and comfortable in-set living area, and two bedrooms with en-suites that were thankfully located at opposite ends of the building. This is what I would be calling home now that our project was in full swing. We needed to be somewhere secure, and the hotel — as lovely as it was — had no real protection. So, I was now due to spend all of my time cooped up here - with him. My anger towards him had calmed down considerably; as it usually does once I am able to think rationally again, I was glad that I hadn't resorted to slapping him, although it took all my self-control not to. There was something about him that instantly got my back up.

I had taken the liberty of investigating him a little, and found out some surprising information regarding who Edward really was. I found out his name was Edward Nashton, he was 33 and he was officially employed by the G.C.P.D. as head of their Cyber Crime Unit, which was ironic as he was a fully-fledged cyber-criminal in his own right. He was involved in a lot of blackmail, extortion and cyber theft and called himself Enigma. I couldn't find much information of his childhood, or his life before the G.C.P.D which was instantly suspicious to me, as everyone has a trail. I knew that he had spent a lot of time in the last two weeks watching and following me, he wasn't as discreet as he obviously thought. Although I don't blame him for checking into me and my past, as I did enough snooping of my own, I took it as a compliment that he had gone out of his way to find out more. I saw that on several occasions he had tried to gain access to my computer, and it was fun to sit and watch him try, then subsequently failing. I could imagine how frustrated he must have been that he couldn't break my defences. I never confronted him or let him know that I was aware he was cyber-stalking me, I thought it was more fun for me to play dumb and then catch him off guard with it when I could use it to my advantage.

"Hello, Enigma. I brought Chinese food as a house-warming, and also as an apology for my behaviour last time we spoke." I smiled as I held up the bag of take-out food. "Now, come and make yourself useful and give me a hand." I hoped the food and slight humour would break the ice, I dragged my extra-large case out of the elevator and propped it up against the wall.

He opened his eyes and sat bolt upright in the chair his mouth curled up into that infuriating half-smile. He slowly walked over to me, and stood so close that I could feel the heat radiating off his body. I looked up at him, and thought that he was a lot taller than I remembered. My breath caught in my chest as he leaned down and his hand reached out towards me.

"Well, it seems like someone has been busy getting information on yours truly. If you were that desperate to know more about me, you could have just asked my dear." He snatched the bag of food from my hands and walked towards the kitchen, grinning arrogantly. "The food is a suitable apology for your behaviour and for being so interested in me; you had to resort to snooping."

"I like to know exactly who I'm working with, don't flatter yourself by thinking that it's anything other than professional curiosity." I sniped as I dropped my bag onto the counter a little harder than I had intended. I hoped that this wouldn't turn into another argument, but he was infuriating.

"Oh, come now my dear. Who wouldn't want to know more about someone as skilled, handsome and interesting as me? Although it seems we share the same curiosity, Sigma." He kept his back turned to me, but I could hear the smile in his voice. "You have an impressive history, and it would seem you have succeeded in surprising me. Congratulations, that doesn't happen often."

"I'm flattered that the infamous Enigma took time out of his busy schedule of working at the G.C.P.D, hacking politicians private email accounts and extorting minor celebrities, to dig up information on me. It's truly an honour." I opened a bottle of water and glugged almost half a bottle in one go, and I let out a huge sigh before I went in for a second drink.

"No alcohol tonight, Carina? I suppose that's a blessing, I can't always be there to catch you when you get a little uneasy on your feet." He teased as he placed two cartons of food in front of me and stabbed a set of chopsticks inside of one. He grabbed his food and a 6 pack of soda and gestured his arm towards the living area. I picked up my own food, brushed past him and flopped down onto the sofa.

"I have no intentions of falling at your feet again Eddie-boy, your charm caught me off guard just the once. It was a complete fluke that you caught me, so don't read too much into it as it won't be happening again." I quipped.

"Oh, but you do think I am charming? That's good to know." He grinned as he sat right next to me, and rested his feet on the coffee table. As I started to blush, I cursed myself for walking right into that trap and fuelling his ego. The smug look on his face made the urge to slap him return.

We ate and drank in silence for what seemed like a lifetime, as I said an internal prayer that something needed to break the tension that was slowly thickening the air in the room. As if he was reading my mind he grabbed the remote for the TV and switched it on, and he spent five minutes flicking through and not leaving any channel on for more than a few seconds at a time.

"Jesus Christ, you're irritating." I snapped as I snatched the remote from his hands and switched over to a channel that showed only crime documentaries. "Let's just watch something on here, having you channel hopping is enough to drive me insane." I threw the remote onto the empty chair next to the sofa.

"Are you always this snappy with people?" he asked as he picked up a soda "You seem to get irritated remarkably easily, or is it just me who gets to push your buttons so well?"

"You really have a high opinion of yourself don't you?" I asked, staring at him intensely.

"Why wouldn't I? Someone as brilliant as I has no time to be humble, my dear." he drank deeply from the bottle but didn't break eye contact with me. This was obviously turning into a staring contest and after a few more seconds of me staring at him, and him studying my face he broke the silence.

"So, what's the story with you and Oswald? I know there's a history there, a history that I would love to know."

_Fucking hell, how does he know exactly how to irritate me?_

"Our history is none of your business." I broke from his gaze and reached for another drink. I didn't want to discuss my past with Ozzy with him. Hell, I barely wanted to acknowledge most of it myself.

"Ooh, did I touch a nerve there? I can play this game for a long time my dear. Curiosity is getting the better of me in this case."

"Why the hell do you want to know? It's not anything sordid or even remotely interesting." I rubbed my face with my hand and sighed loudly. "We are old friends, and I care about him a lot. That's pretty much it."

_He is exhausting, no wonder this guy spends most of his time alone._

"You're a terrible liar. There's a story there, and the more you resist, the more I will be determined to find out what it is. I love a good mystery." he raised an eyebrow at me. "Okay, let me think of another less invasive question."

"Quid pro quo." I replied trying to shake off the irritation in his probing "I want to know something about you Nashton, before I reveal any more about me. It's only fair."

"I can play this game." He smiled. A smile that instantly made my tummy flutter and my cheeks burn, I wasn't sure if it was nerves or irritation. "Ask away, my dear."

_Jesus, he has to stop smiling at me like that, it will be the death of me._


	5. Chapter 5 - Mischief Makers

A/N: Sorry that this is such a short one, but there is an EXTRA-long one coming in the next chapter, so please don't leave me okay? (yes, I am THAT needy). So, I am going to post this a day early, and then post an extra one tomorrow as normal. I can't help it! I just want you all to see where I am going with this :)

* * *

After almost two weeks living in Nerd HQ - as we had jokingly nicknamed it - Edward and I had finally settled into a routine that worked for us both. We were slowly becoming more comfortable in each other's company, and were actually forming the beginning of friendship. He was still an arrogant show off, and I was still prickly with too much to prove but we were learning to deal with each other's quirks and mood swings. We would have our moments when we would snipe at each other and he seemed to take great pleasure in pushing my buttons, but for the most part our living situation was harmonious, and then there was the occasional flirtation which would leave us both grinning like idiots. We would both work late into the night gathering information for Ozzy and Sal, taking it in turns at bringing each other coffee and food, and we would then spend our down time listening to music and I would help him try and get information on a puzzle he wanted to solve...

Who was the Batman?

This guy had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, a masked vigilante dressed in a ridiculous outfit, who seemed to spend his time trying to straighten out Gotham's 'bad-guys'. He had beaten up a lot of men, and had been seen snooping around near Ozzy's place and worst of all – he had come awfully close to finding back up information stashes that we had planted in random areas of the city. To most people, he was a myth, or a horror story to tell children of criminals to make them behave. We knew that he was real, and had the potential to be a major inconvenience to our plans. So when Edward decided to investigate as to who this guy was, I was just as intrigued as he was as to this man's true identity and what made me what to become a one-man-army against the criminals of Gotham.

"Gotcha!" I heard Edward shout from across the room, making me jump. "You can't hide from me now you shaved ape." His fingers were moving at an intense speed on the keyboard and I walked over and leaned on the back of his chair to try and look at what he had discovered. He held his arms up in the air in victory as I spun his chair around to face me, and I was greeted with the biggest grin I had ever seen on his face.

"Care to share your findings with me Eddie, or will this be yet another one of your easily solved riddles?" I teased, resting my hands on the sides of his chair and leaning in closer. He was gradually becoming increasingly cryptic, and randomly scribbled in his leather notebook that he carried everywhere with him whenever he would have a sudden burst of inspiration. I always played along when he would ask me brainteasers out of the blue. He seemed to like outsmarting people, and it was something I loved to watch. I didn't always get his questions right, and he seemed to get a kick out of it. I accepted it as one of his quirks, a seemingly harmless one at that.

He brought his face up to mine, his green eyes sparkling with joy "I finally know how he gets around so quickly and now we can try to sabotage it." The look on his face was the one I described as his 'Evil Genius' face.

I grinned back at him "I am so happy you said 'we', I do love to cause a little mischief. What did you find, genius?"

"Well..." he began "…the Bat can't actually fly, contrary to the reports from the idiots on the street, but you and I already knew that. He actually has a small single man jet of some sorts, a Batwing if you will…" he laughed at his own joke and continued"…it even seems to be controlled remotely as well as manually." he spun his chair back round to face the monitors, I moved next to him and leaned on the desk as he brought up various CCTV and satellite images "He has remote drop points that he uses to travel around Gotham, from the footage I have managed to recover, he drops out of his little Bat-Jet and it remotely flies itself to one of these safe zones, while he beats people up, or throws rocks at the moon, or whatever this brute is doing with his evenings." He pointed out markers on a map of Gotham he had on the screen "They are all over the city, at least one in each district. He also seems to have his own communications channel, which I find highly interesting; as I'm surprised he can even use a phone."

My mind raced while looking at all the information on the screen and my eyes darted from marker to marker, a sudden clarity came over me as I looked at the locations of the drop-zones. "Eddie look, each of these drop-zones is close to a GCR radio tower. I guarantee that he's using these to boost his signals and using them as markers. I bet if we seize these towers, we can interfere with his Jet and communications! We may even be able to get more information on him!" I hopped into my seat, grabbed his keyboard, brought up the frequencies from the radio towers, and matched perfectly it with the information we had from the drop-zones. My fingers tapping at a frenzied pace on the keyboard and I bit my lip in concentration. I glanced over at Edward who was giving me a look that I had never seen on his face before; I couldn't quite figure it out.

"What?" I quizzed

"Nothing my dear, please continue." He remarked, but still keeping the same look on his face.

"Okay… well I was about to say that we could install a signal jammer in each of these towers, it would block the frequencies to any technology he is using and make it extremely difficult for him to get around. The least we can do is throw a spanner in the works for him if nothing else."

"How would we get the jammer set up? It would have to be installed manually." He asked.

"Well I have no problems going there myself and sorting it out, I will see if Ozzy will let me have a few guys accompany me as back up. I should be able to get them done tomorrow. Although… I would have to do it at night, as I don't want anyone from GCR knowing about it either, I don't want to risk any of those idiots messing it up, so I guess I could do it tonight." He smiled as I explained my plan, a smile that said he agreed.

"I have some guys that can go with you." He replied, and seeing the surprised look on my face he continued. "Some men are easily swayed by money, who do you think I get to hide all my stashes for me?"

"Well, you are full of surprises aren't you?" I joked.

"More than you know." He smirked "What if the Bat finds the jammers?"

"Do you honestly think he has the capability to hack and disable them?" I asked as I gestured towards a CCTV feed of the Bat being hit around the head with a lead pipe, while partaking in yet another brawl with the common thugs that roamed Gotham's streets.

"Good point." He laughed.

"Even if he did, it would easily pave a way for us to access his personal communications; he would make it too easy to keep tabs on him. Plus, I have a few tricks up my sleeve that he won't be expecting." I replied mischievously.

"I love tricks, ooh I really love tricks." He replied "Just let me know when you want to make a start and I will let the guys know to come and get you, and where to take you."

"Don't overexert yourself, I wouldn't want you getting those wonderful hands of yours dirty." I winked.

"You have a point they **do** need to be protected, and they **are **wonderful." I watched as he leaned back in his seat and actually admired his own hands.

"Wow..." I laughed

"I know, they're magnificent, along with the rest of me of course." He replied, he was now admiring his reflection in a monitor.

"That wasn't what I was amazed at; I was amazed at just how big your ego is." I giggled as I threw a ball of scrunched up paper at him.

"Well, if you want to talk size..." he began as he turned to face me with a mischievous look on his face.

"STOP!" I interrupted as I jumped out of my seat and threw hands in the air "We are not having this conversation. Call the guys would you please? I need to get these jammers sorted, it's already 6pm and I want to get this done tonight. Luckily it's getting dark earlier so I can start soon."

I heard him sigh "As you wish... spoil-sport."

"Stop pouting and call them!" I shouted as I made my way to the bedroom to change.

_I have got to stop flirting with him, this is going to end in tears. _I thought. But even the thought of being made a fool of couldn't wipe the smile from my face.


	6. Chapter 6 - Terrible Liar

It was cold. Scratch that, it was freezing. My fingers were feeling like they were icing over, and my teeth would not stop chattering. Being this high up on a radio tower, in the dead of night wasn't how I usually spent my Friday nights. They usually consisted of too much alcohol, and falling into bed with whoever had caught my fancy and spending the night engaging in some extremely un-ladylike acts. Yet here I was, wrapped up in layers of dark clothing being escorted around the city to install the jammers, by men who smelled like body odour and cheap booze.

"Fucking hell, it's cold tonight." One of them remarked. "How much longer do we gots to be here? It's been 6 hours already"

"As long as it takes, boss said we have to stick with 'er until she's done." Replied another, I heard grumbles and the occasional profanity come from the others as they stood rubbing their arms to try and keep some warmth in.

"Calm your tits boys, I'm almost done. Since when has cold been a problem for strapping guys like you, I'm cutting glass here and I've not whinged once." I snapped

'_Cari, don't tease the help, they're there to protect you after all. Although… what was that about cutting glass? That sounds interesting._' Edwards's voice rang out from the hands free communicator in my ear; I ignored the slight flirtation in his voice.

"Fuck off Eddie, I am not going into detail about this." I laughed "Anyway, since when has bitching been a help? They're mostly giving me a headache, although it's not much different to spending time with you."

'_Now you're teasing me, you're getting remarkably good at that.' _I heard him chuckle, I knew he was trying to wind me up and I was refusing to bite. I finished attaching the final jammer to the wall, I would activate it as I left so not to interfere with my own communications.

"That's the last one done, finally." I said, I didn't even try to hide the sound of exhaustion in my voice. "Eddie, I'm on my way back. I will be about an hour."

I heard sighs of relief from the men that stood on the platform with me.

'_There is one more thing before you make your way home... Oswald wants you to drop by.'_

"Oh for fuck's sake Eddie, it's 5am! What could he possibly want at 5am?" I slammed the lid to my toolbox shut. Feeling tears of exhaustion and frustration build up in my eyes. "Fine, I will see you later." I switched off the communicator and placed it into a pouch in my satchel.

"Let's go lads; you can drop me at the Lounge on your way home." I said, marching towards the ladder that went down to the street, I turned to face the jammer and activated it, and the blinking red lights kicked into life. Sighing, I started to climb down - _This had better be fucking important._

* * *

"Ozzy?" I called out into the empty lounge. It was just after 5:30am and the place was silent, most of the lights were out and the smell of stale smoke filled the air. It wasn't half as glamorous as it was when the lights were on and it was filled with music and people. "Ozzy, come on I'm tired and I want to get back."

I made my way up to his office, calling out his name a few more times as I walked. I opened the door to find his office as dark and empty as the rest of the place. "Fucking hell, where is he?" I muttered to myself.

I screamed as I felt a hand suddenly appear on the small of my back. I turned around to see an exhausted looking Ozzy. "Jesus Ozzy, you frightened the hell out of me!" looking at his face, I could see something was wrong "Are you ok? What's happened?" I asked, putting my cold hands up to his cheeks.

"I needed to see you, I was worried." He replied "Edward said that you were still out doing something with the towers, I can't believe he would let you go out and do that alone all night! Anything could have happened, what the hell was he thinking?" he snapped.

He walked around and sat at his desk, I sat on it facing him and started to swing my legs underneath, hoping that the movement would start to warm me up. I tilted my head at him, the smell of alcohol was overpowering, and he was slurring his words.

"I wasn't alone, Eddie had some of his guys come with me for muscle. Plus, we didn't run into any problems, it was remarkably uneventful." I smiled, hoping that he would see that I was perfectly fine and perfectly protected.

_Jesus, how much has he had to drink tonight?_

"Eddie?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at the informality of the name. I realised that up until now, I had always referred to him as Edward when talking about him. "So you two of you really are getting along. I knew this would happen." His face was completely impassive, I couldn't make out if he was joking or not.

"You knew what would happen? Of course we get along, we have plenty in common, plus I have to see him every day so we sort of have no choice but to get on. He frustrates the living hell out of me; I've never had to be around anyone who pushes my buttons to get a rise out of me so much. Plus, Eddie is much easier to say than Edward" I laughed, trying to make light of the situation. The feeling in my gut told me that Ozzy was starting to become jealous, although I had no idea why he would feel that way. We were never together - in an official sense anyway.

"Are they the only buttons he's pushing?" he asked sharply, clenching his fists.

"W-what do you mean?" I replied nervously, taken aback by his sudden harshness.

"Are you attracted to him?" he asked as he grabbed my wrist tightly to stop me from fidgeting. This was a rarely seen side to Ozzy for me, a side that made me extremely edgy. Sure, I found Edward extremely attractive, how could I not? He was gorgeous, intelligent, funny and very easy to be around – when he wasn't acting like a narcissistic ass. Due to the precariousness of our living situation, I didn't want to rock the boat and outright confess any attraction to him, due to the inevitable rebuff from him and risk making things awkward.

"I haven't really thought about it." I lied. "I have been too busy working to think about things like that." The latter was true, I had been so busy the last few weeks that sex and men were at the back of my mind most of the time. "Plus, men create too much confusion." I forced out a smile, whether or not he accepted it as genuine remained to be seen.

He eyed me suspiciously as he let us both stew in the tension that had suddenly thickened the air. I was about to break the silence when he began talking.

"Are you still angry at me for leaving you after that night?" he asked, loosening the grip on my wrist.

I winced at the question. 5:30am after spending the night climbing radio towers was not the best time to discuss the last time we had seen each other. I didn't want to have this conversation at the best of times, but I knew it would come up eventually - just not now.

"No." I replied bluntly "But I was, for a long time. I'm going to be honest here Oz, to wake up and have you gone without so much as a parting word hurt like a bitch, I never for one moment thought that you would use me like that. Then to not see you for years afterwards knocked me even more. After everything that happened I didn't think that you would treat me that way. I was heartbroken if I'm being honest." I kept my head bowed as I spoke, terrified that he would see the hurt in my eyes, I was fine with people seeing me angry, angry wasn't a sign of weakness to me. Hurt, genuine hurt and heartache? That was weakness.

He stayed silent for what seemed like a lifetime, I continued to keep my head low and started to chew on my lip.

"Look, I don't know why you've even brought it up. It was years ago, and we are different people now. I still care about you, and I will always be your friend Ozzy. We have been through too much to let something like this be an issue. We have both moved on from that anyway, you have your... harem. I have had the occasional fling here and there, its fine" I was shaking as I spoke, a mixture of nerves and embarrassment. When he didn't reply again, I looked over and he refused to make eye-contact with me. After a few more minutes, I decided that I had enough of talking to myself; I pushed myself off his desk and started to walk towards the door. "All I really wanted was an explanation or an apology as to why you left, but it appears that I still won't get that will I? You bring this up and then refuse to talk? That's fantastic." I added sarcastically, feeling the bite of frustration in my chest.

I looked at him for a response and was met with more silence.

"Goodnight, Ozzy." I stated as I turned on my heels, as I reached for the handle to the door I heard his voice, a sinister tone that I had heard from him several times before, but never aimed towards me.

"You were never a good liar, Cari"

My heart felt like it had stopped, and my entire body froze.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked, forcing as much bravado and confidence into my voice as I could muster, still staring at the door.

"When I asked you if you were attracted to him, you lied. You must forget that I can read you like a book. I've also seen the way you two flirt with each other, even if you don't realise it" he started to walk towards me, I heard his voice getting closer and the slow click of his shoes on the marble floor. "You're like a couple of schoolchildren, pulling each other's hair, as a way of showing to others that you aren't interested when you really are. It's pathetic to watch."

By now he was stood directly behind me. He brushed away my hair to expose my neck, and I could feel his breath rolling over the sensitive spot beneath my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

"Ozzy, please drop this. You're being ridiculous." I said quietly – almost a whisper, still unable to move. As much as he was making me nervous, I still couldn't pull myself away. There was something about him that made me weak, It was a deep rooted affection, but an affection I wasn't sure meant the same thing anymore as it did all those years ago. "You're reading way too much into this." I continued

I felt his lips touch my skin, hot and firm kisses were planted on the crook of my neck. A small moan escaped my lips and the fire returned to my belly. His arm snaked around my body and stopped to rest his hand on my stomach, as he pushed himself up against my back. I moved my hand over his, and linked our fingers together, gently squeezing his hand. He slowly turned me around and pulled my face towards his, his lips crushed my own and I was struck by the overpowering taste of cigars and alcohol. As much as my mind screamed at me not to, I started to kiss him back - it was instinctive, it was my subconscious and I couldn't stop myself. I grabbed the waist of his suit jacket and pulled him closer to me, our mouths still in a furious battle of power. It was like I was on auto-pilot, the constant need for his approval, had warped into something I couldn't describe. As well as my body was reacting, I knew it was wrong. I knew it had to stop.

He broke off the kiss and grabbed the back of my hair tightly tugging my head back and making me wince in pain "I always thought you were mine, and that I owned you." He whispered into my ear. "But it appears that I am not what you want any more."

"Oz, you're hurting me." I whimpered, trying to push away from him - but failing under his strong grip.

"You used to be mine." he snarled

Something inside me snapped at that statement, I felt the anger building up inside me. "You never owned me! You think you can have sex with me once leave, and that means I'm yours?"

"What was it you said that last night we were together?" he began, with venom in his voice letting go of my hair.

"Don't." I snapped. "Don't fucking do this." I slowly started to back away from him, but he followed, looking like a jackal about to attack.

"I believe it was, 'I love you' and 'I'm yours', I thought it was true as you said it often enough when I was inside you." That sinister smile was back. "What else am I to think when you make statements like that?"

"That was before you left me! You expect me to still feel the same way after you fucking leave me lying there, feeling like some whore you used for the night? I got this fucking scar because of you." I pointed to the deep scar above my eyebrow, my constant reminder of him. "I took it - for you. Then you repay me by fucking me over?" the rage was now coursing through me. "Yes, there was a time I loved you, and a time I would have been yours completely, but not now. Not ever. I don't even know who you are anymore, Ozzy. The person I loved would never speak to me this way, hurt me or treat me like a fucking possession. You are not the person I remember, you're becoming a fucking monster" My hands were shaking just as much as my voice was.

He grabbed my waist and pulled me towards him, so my body was flush against his, his free hand grabbed my throat and he dug his fingers into my skin. "So you're saying you don't want me anymore? I would worship you; I would set you above the others. You don't want that?" he snarled as his grip tightened, I started to choke and struggle for breath as he continued to talk "But no, you'd rather fuck him instead wouldn't you? You'll be his whore over my Queen? You always were remarkably easy to fuck, so it's no wonder you would throw yourself at him." He slammed me against the wall and there was an almighty crack as my skull bounced off the stone. I cried out as best I could while I struggled for breath as stars danced in front of my eyes, the look of anger inside his own sent me into a panic. My brain started to scream at me - _Get out now! GET OUT!_

I knew I had to break from his grip, I took all my remaining strength and punched him in the face, the pain shot through my knuckles and he instantly released his grip on my throat, and I fell to the floor coughing and spluttering trying to catch my breath. "Go fuck yourself." I coughed as I scrambled out of the room, leaving him with a look of shock on his face, like he had been snapped out of a dream.

As I got to my feet I could feel the tears brimming up in my eyes. I could feel the slight trickle of blood running down the back of my neck, I needed to get out of here.

_What had happened to him? Why the hell was he acting this way?_

I started to run out of the building, my legs were like jelly and I felt dizzy and disorientated, but I was refusing to cry on his turf. As soon as the cold air in the street hit my lungs, I let out a huge sob and started to cry loudly. I didn't care how ridiculous I looked or sounded, I just needed to cry. The sobs seemed to take over my body, I felt like it would never stop. My brain was throwing a million and one questions at me, and I thought I would pass out.

_I can't believe that just happened. What the fuck is going on?_

I leaned against the wall of the Lounge, and took deep breaths that burned my throat, trying to stop myself from hyperventilating. I heard footsteps hastily approaching that stopped in front of me, then I saw two red shoes enter my line of sight and heard a voice.

"Are you ok, honey?"


	7. Chapter 7 - The First Confession

"Oh my god!" exclaimed Rosa as I nodded. "I mean... Oh my god, I can't believe that happened. Are you okay? Did he seriously hurt you? Have you told Pino? Oh god have you told Sal?" It was early evening and we were sat in a small bar not far from the HQ, I had called her to come and meet me for drinks as I needed to get out and drown my troubles with several large cocktails. I had spent the last 2 days in my room, seeing no one and actively avoiding Eddie, and ignoring Ozzy's phone-calls.

I blinked a few times to register the questions she was throwing at me. "Yes, I'm okay. No, he didn't hurt me too badly, just a few bruises and a bump on the head. No, Sal and Pino have no idea. You're the only person I've told, I didn't even tell Eddie when I got home, he just thinks I am being weird." I replied, chewing on my lip. I had been doing it non-stop since I had been to the Lounge and my lip was beginning to get sore. "Sal and Pino would go apeshit if they knew; you must promise me not to say anything!" I grabbed her hands and my eyes pleaded with her, the last thing I needed was for someone to get hurt over this.

"Of course, you have my word. I just can't believe he would put his hands on you, what the hell does he think he's doing? I also can't believe he would up and leave you after, well... y'know. He's always spoke so highly of you and the times you two are together, you're so sweet and it's like..." she didn't finish the sentence, she didn't need to, she just looked at me with eyes full of pity.

"He wasn't thinking, well not logically anyway. He got it into his head that something was happening, or was about to happen with Eddie, and he just... snapped I guess. Not to make excuses for him, but he was extremely drunk by the time I arrived. I just... I had just never seen this side of him aimed towards me before. I was actually scared at one point, and that's one thing I never thought he would make me feel. I thought he was going to strangle me or something." I could feel the tears brimming in my eyes again. "Jesus..." I sniffed "I am so pathetic."

"No, you're not! You have just had someone betray your trust and hurt you. That's not your fault, please don't blame yourself." She grabbed my shoulders and pulled me into a hug. "I'm here for you, anything you need and I will do my best to help."

"Thanks Rosa, you're an angel. Pino is so lucky to have you." I said genuinely, smiling slightly.

"Damn right he is!" she giggled "He's not wrong though..." she began "You and Edward do seem to bounce off each other really well, plus I've noticed he's always staring at you with this real intense look."

"That's just his face, he always looks that way." I said, keeping a straight face. The last thing I wanted to do was to prove Oz right and confess my attraction to Edward, everything was starting to get so complicated and stressful, I didn't want to make things worse.

"That may very well be the case, but I think it's something more. That's my opinion anyway; please don't think I am overstepping my mark. I just think you would complement each other well." She smiled sweetly.

"He compliments himself enough, so I think he's sorted." I joked, as Rosa raised an eyebrow, she wasn't buying my denial but thankfully didn't press the issue any further.

"So who was that woman who walked helped you find a cab after you left?" she asked

"Some Doctor who was on her way to Blackgate, Harleen something. Hold on, I have her card in my purse." I reached in and pulled out the black and white card "Dr. Harleen Quinzel, she's a psychiatrist. Heh, there's something quite beautiful about being helped out in an emotional crisis by a passing psych."

"It was incredibly sweet of her, Gotham isn't too kind to Women, so we have to stick together." she replied, squeezing my hand.

"Funnily enough, that's pretty much what she said." I replied amazed. "My mental state was something to be desired though, I feel like a bit of an idiot looking back."

The bartender walked over with two extremely large cocktails and placed them in front of us.

"Speaking of mental state…" I began "…I intend to get extremely drunk tonight and not have to think about any more bad shit."

Rosa handed one drink to me and picked hers up to make a toast.

"To us girls..." she said "...sticking together"

I grinned at her, the first genuine smile in days. "To us girls." I replied as I clinked my glass against hers.

* * *

It was late by the time I got back to HQ, and I was stinking drunk. Rosa had dropped me off in a cab on her way home, and made sure I was safely inside the elevator before she left. She planted a kiss on my forehead and told me to go upstairs to 'the beautiful man' and giggled as she walked away. The elevator came to a stop on the top floor, I looked around and Eddie was nowhere to be seen in the main living area. Only the light from the few monitors was illuminating the room, a soft green colour that still made it extremely difficult for me to see in my inebriated state.

_He must be asleep._ I thought

I tried to make as little noise as possible as I made my way into the living area, that plan failed as my feet connected with each other making me trip, and before I knew it I was in a dishevelled heap on the floor.

"Shhhh, you silly feet." I said out loud "You'll wake Eddie up." With that I started giggling at my own ridiculousness, I lay on my back and laughed.

"Your silly feet woke me up long before you fell, my dear." came Edwards voice.

He was stood in the now open doorway to his room with his hands on his hips. He was dressed only in long pyjama bottoms, and was shirtless showing off the solid and toned body that I had always wondered about, slight flecks of auburn hair peppered his chest. He had extreme bed hair, and his voice was husky and sleepy. I wasn't sure if it was the drink, or what Rosa had said, but he had never looked sexier than he did right now. I closed my eyes, and bit on my lip to stop myself from thinking the thoughts that were running through my head.

_Not now, Cari. Seriously, not like this._

"How much drink did Rosa give you? Jesus Cari, you're bleeding and bruised. Who did this to you?" he said as he walked over to me and knelt beside me. His thumb traced my bottom lip wiping the blood from my mouth, as my eyes fluttered open and tried to focus, all I could do was gaze up at him into his gorgeous green eyes. His smell was intoxicating, and feeling the heat from his thumb was making my lips tingle.

"Cari? Why are you bleeding?" he asked again.

"I bit my lip too hard because you're very handsome and sexy." I whispered, without applying any sort of filter between my brain and my mouth. I instantly burst into giggles again after I realised what I had said, feeling the blush take over my entire body.

He laughed and shook his head "If that were true, my dear. You would always have a bleeding lip. Now, let's get you to bed before you do yourself any more damage." he said as he hoisted me up into his arms with ease.

As he carried me to my room, I curled into him and breathed in as much of his scent as I could. Once I was in my room, he helped me take off my boots and jacket, he then covered me with a light blanket after I had flopped down onto the bed and he sat on the edge of my bed.

"I'm glad you're nice..." I mumbled as I wriggled around trying to get comfortable.

"I'm sorry?" he replied.

"I'm glad you're nice, and not an asshole like he is." I slurred.

"I'm glad to hear it." He laughed he tucked the blanket in around me, he brushed my hair away from my face, a feeling that made my whole body tingle. Then he slowly got up and walked towards the door.

"Eddie?" I asked

"Yes, Cari?"

"You wouldn't give me bruises would you?"

"That's not my style, my dear."

"Goodnight, Eddie." I whispered

"Goodnight, Cari" he said softly as he closed my door.

* * *

He lay in bed and stared at the ceiling for a good 10 minutes smiling to himself, replaying what she had said to him over and over again, arguing with himself over what she really meant.

_She said I was sexy._

**_She was drunk_**_._

_She thinks __I'm __nice, and she thinks __I'm __handsome!_

**_Again, she was drunk. She's probably had a night of oafs hitting on her, and when she comes back here, you picked her up off the floor. Anyone would think that's nice._**

_I think she's wonderful. She's beautiful, funny, intelligent, she's a pain in the ass, but wonderful nonetheless._

**_Oswald warned you, he told you to not try anything with her._**

_She deserves better than him._

**_Yes, she does._**

_If he is the one who hurt her, I will make him regret it._

He rolled over and blocked out his thoughts. He had argued with himself over this since the moment he met her, but Cobblepot had given him a stern warning to stay away from her, and to never get the idea in his head. He decided he would wait until she was sober, and see what happened, see if she showed any interest in him at all. She could do better than Cobblepot, she needed someone worthy of her, she needed someone who would make her happy, someone who wouldn't hurt her. She needed someone like him.


	8. Chapter 8 - The Morning After

I had spent the best part of an hour sat at the end of my bed impatiently tapping my foot, biting my nails and staring at the door, I was dreading having to go out and face the world. I wasn't feeling as hungover as I expected, after Edward put me to bed I woke up and spent most of the night being sick, and as a result I didn't get much sleep, but at least I managed to get rid of the alcohol in my system. It was now 7am and I needed coffee, I was already thinking about how I was intending to mainline it into my veins just so I could feel alive again, alas that wasn't an option, so I had to bite the bullet and leave my room. Taking in a deep breath as I rose, I sheepishly made my way towards the door.

The living area was still dark, and again only the dim green light from the monitors lit the room. I quietly padded over to the kitchen and started to make myself coffee, making every effort to be as quiet as possible. I bent over and leaned both hands against the counter as the coffee machine whirled into life, keeping my head down and staring at the floor as my mind kept repeating everything that had happened over the last few days.

I was still ignoring Ozzy's calls and messages. He was seriously grovelling, but I couldn't even think about forgiving him, it was still too raw, I was still too angry with him. I was also angry with myself - that I had hit him, I had lost my cool so much that I raised a hand to the one person I truly cared about. Most people would say he deserved it as he was hurting me, but I have always wanted to protect him, I had taken enough pain on his behalf so he wouldn't have to feel it. Now I had done the thing I swore I would never do, I had struck him. I subconsciously ran my fingers along the scar over my eyebrow, and started to think back to the night that I got it years ago. A sudden feeling of nausea washed over me, and the slight prickles of tears started to build up in my eyes.

"How are you feeling?"

Edwards gruff voice snapped me back into reality and made me jump, he was stood next to me in the kitchen and I must have been so lost in thought that I hadn't heard him approach me.

"Shit, Eddie. You made me jump."

"Sorry." he smiled weakly at me "Are you okay after last night? You were remarkably drunk, and also bleeding."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I remember you putting me to bed. Thank you, that was extremely sweet of you. Too much vodka and being over emotional don't mix, I'm just thankful I wasn't at my crying stage. Giggly is much better than crying." I replied feeling embarrassed. I vaguely remembered that I had also told him he was sexy or handsome or possibly even both. I was cringing inside that I had made such a fool of myself and cursed my lack of a filter when drunk.

"It's fine, it's not the first time I've had to deal with you being drunk. At least this time you weren't shouting at me." he laughed softly. He walked over to the coffee pot that had been ready for quite some time, and poured two mugs of black coffee. He handed one to me and made his way over to the couch, sat down and put his feet into their usual position on the coffee table.

"I won't apologise for that one." I giggled "You pissed me off you deserved it, you actually manage to do that remarkably well." I had joined him on the couch, sat with my legs crossed and holding my mug in both hands.

"Is that why you've been avoiding me for the last few days?" he asked, looking me dead in the eyes, with such concern that I instantly felt terrible.

_Fuck._ I thought. _What is with this week?_

I knew I had to explain what had happened, I couldn't lie to him. Even slightly bending the truth had got me into trouble before, so I decided to just get it over with.

"I have been avoiding you..." I began "But not for the reasons you think." I saw the concerned look still in his eyes.

_Why do these conversations keep happening at silly hours?_

"Last Friday after I sorted out the jammers, I went to see Ozzy..." I began. I proceeded to tell him everything that had happened at the lounge, about mine and Ozzy's last night together before he moved here, about his sudden onset of insane jealousy. "...so that's why I have been holed up in my room, and why I got blind drink last night. I just didn't want to think about it. I didn't want to face the reality that he could do that to me. All I've ever wanted was for someone to want me, appreciate me and accept me. I thought Ozzy was that person, but it's not how I imagined. He's become someone I don't recognise. I admit that I had… a certain affection for him once, that's why I forgave him for leaving, because all I wanted was for him to want me. I guess… I was being silly and naive that he could even care about me."

I looked at Edward, who had stayed quiet throughout the whole re-telling. _Please say something_. I pleaded internally.

"I don't know if this will make things worse, but he said something to me... about you." he replied, keeping a straight and impassive face. "He told me to not get too close to you, to not get any ideas as you belonged to him. I want to apologise for believing that was true, due to the way you two act around each other. I didn't realise it was so... complicated, and it was ridiculous for me to think that he could own a person, never-mind someone like you."

"He said that to you?" I replied softly, a look of shock was obviously plastered on my face.

"Also a few other things, but I don't care to repeat them in front of a lady." he laughed nervously. "Anyway, we are friends right? There is nothing wrong with that, don't feel bad for getting along with people. It's his issue to deal with, not yours."

"I'm sorry, Eddie." I replied quietly, looking down into my mug. "Everything is such a mess, and I have no idea what to do."

I felt his hand reach over and cup my cheek, he raised my head slightly to face him. "You'll be fine, this will blow over one way or another, plus you have a sexy and handsome genius to keep you company." he smirked "They're your words, not mine."

Seeing him smiling at me, brought back the butterflies. It seemed wrong that I could be so attracted to him, that his smile could make my knees weak even while talking about something terrible. It still continued to hit me that I was indeed – ridiculously attracted to him.

"Fuck." I blushed furiously "I am sorry. I shouldn't have said that, I'm an idiot." I still felt the heat of his hand on my cheek after he removed it. I don't know what burned hotter, his touch or my embarrassment.

"Stop apologising, it is the truth after-all. You're only human." he laughed. He must have seen how embarrassed I looked, as he smiled and continued to talk "I'm glad you said it." he added quietly.

I lay my head back onto the sofa and turned to look up at him smiling; I was relieved he was being so sweet about this all. I tried to read his expression as we stared into each other's eyes. This was a whole new side to him I had not seen before, supportive, sweet, and gentle. There was still the bravado and the arrogance that took up his personality 90% of the time, but I liked seeing this side of him. All that was running through my mind was how handsome he looked, even at 7am in the dim light of a warehouse. I heard him take a deep breath and exhale hard, as he broke from my gaze to place his mug on the table; he gently took mine from my hands and placed it next to his. As he scooted closer to me my heart started to beat furiously and my breathing increased so much that I was paranoid he could hear it, I felt the heat of his body roll off onto mine and the fire returned to my belly, this fire was different, I was actually nervous – but in a good way, in a way that a teenage girl feels right before her first kiss. He brought his hand up to my face and started running his thumb along my bottom lip, I closed my eyes as the tingling sensation he ignited started to travel all over my body. He moved his face closer to mine, and I opened my eyes to see his move from meeting my own to slowly work their way down to my lips. My breath caught in my chest, as my mind started to race.

_Fuck. Is he going to kiss me?_ I thought. _Do I want him to kiss me? Should I kiss him? Why would he want to kiss me? It's 7am and I look like shit_. It seemed like a million questions were rushing through my brain all at once.

"How is your lip?" he asked breathily. I could taste his breath on my own, and it was just as sweet as the rest of him. In that instant the questions vanished from my mind, and one sentence remained.

_Please kiss me_.

"It's fine..." I replied quietly to try and keep him from hearing the wobble in my voice. He kept his thumb on my lips for a few seconds longer before slowly moving his hand back over to gently cup my cheek.

"Is your head still sore?"

"A little, but I will be fine." I replied. I saw him furrow his brow as he looked at the dark bruises that were showing on my neck. "I'll be fine, Eddie." I repeated.

My heart started to beat so fast I could hear it in my head; I could almost see the vibrations from each beat in front of my eyes. I had never been so nervous around someone, I wanted to be closer to him, I wanted to taste him. I wanted… him.

_Please kiss me._

I closed my eyes as I gently rubbed my cheek against his hand, the feeling of his skin on my own made me shudder. I took slight initiative and placed feather light kisses into his palm, a risk that I was almost certain would pay off. I heard him sharply intake breath as he kept his hand against my cheek, and he lightly began rubbing his thumb against my skin. I uncrossed my legs and turned my body towards his, as I did he instantly snaked his free arm between me and the cushion and wrapped it around my waist pulling me flush against him. The contact between our bodies made me gasp softly, and I noticed the slight smirk on his face as he heard the sound. Our mouths were so close I could almost taste him, and I could hear his breathing had increased to match my own.

_Please kiss me._

His fingers started to slowly stroke the side of my body as he rested his forehead against my own, making my skin goosebump. I realised in that moment that he made me feel safe and protected, tenderness and caring was something that I wasn't used to, but this moment felt wonderful. Our eyes met once again, both of us looking to see who would make the first move, who would cave first. I made the decision to make the move myself, I had no problems with any other man, why was this so different? I opened my mouth slightly and made the move to kiss him when a video call from the computer blared and snapped us out of the spell we had put each other under.

I over-compensated my embarrassment and jumped up out of my seat rubbing my face as a way of snapping myself out of it, I looked over at Eddie who was clenching his fists into the cushions and hanging his head in what I assumed was the same frustration I was feeling. I was sure that I heard him mutter a few expletives under his breath, before he let out a huge sigh.

"Who the hell is that, calling at this hour?" I asked, still out of breath.

"That, my dear.." he began "...is Oswald."


	9. Chapter 9 - Parting Shot

The silence in the car on the way to the Lounge had been deafening. I heard Frank clear his throat a few times as he drove us, out of what I assumed was sheer awkwardness, but Edward and I couldn't even meet each other's gaze. I had spent the whole drive staring down at my hands, and trying to make myself as quiet and small as possible. After our almost-kiss was interrupted by Ozzy calling us into an emergency meeting we had barely managed to speak more than a few words to each other, any build-up of passion or attraction had been thoroughly stamped out by having Ozzy shout down the phone for us both to 'Get our fucking arses to the Lounge as soon as possible'.

Walking into the building, It hit me that this was bigger than I expected. I could see that there were numerous masked men guarding every entrance to the building, all of whom were armed. As comfortable as I was with the criminal underworld, there weren't as many guns in the UK as there were in America; it still took some getting used to. I froze for a few seconds, unable to move my eyes from the assault rifles that they held in front of them. My nerves must have shown significantly, as I felt a supportive hand rest gently on the small of my back. I looked up at Edward who gave me the briefest and faintest of smiles, before a more serious and impassive look took over his face. I appreciated the gesture he was making, I was also relieved that things hadn't regressed completely, and the soft, caring Edward I had seen this morning was still there, even if it was hidden beneath his now brooding exterior.

We walked into the main office and I was silently greeted by my Uncle, who kissed me on the cheek and gestured to the chair next to where he was sitting, Edward instantly claimed the one next to me. I noticed that there were even more armed men standing around, and a lot of high ranking mobsters. I looked at Ozzy out of the corner of my eyes, and saw that he was leaning on the end of the table staring intensely at me, I snapped my eyes forward and ignored the churning sensation in my stomach. Something about this was making me incredibly uneasy, and I was having to stop all my instincts to just get up and run.

"Good-Morning. I'm sure you all wondering why you're all here at this ungodly hour. So let me begin, you all have skills, skills that I'm going to use, and I am going to tell you what I want you to do for me." came a voice that I didn't recognise, I raised my head to snap a sarcastic response to whoever was demanding work from me and saw someone who made the blood in my veins run cold. Black Mask.

I instantly clamped my mouth shut, and watched as he paced in front of Ozzy's desk and continued to talk.

_Holy shit, what the hell does he want from me?_

* * *

Sitting with Sal and Edward in a booth after the meeting, I was desperate to get my nerves under control. I was shaking slightly, because Roman Sionis, or Black Mask as he was better known - terrified me, he had a lot of power, a lot of money and was completely unpredictable. He had roped us all in to help him 'rid Gotham of a pest issue', that pest issue turned out to be the Falcone family. He had created an alliance with my Uncle, and now he had plans to completely eradicate all traces of Falcone influence in the city.

"How can you trust him?" I whispered towards my uncle. "Who's to say that once he takes out Falcone, that we won't be next?"

"I don't have much choice but to trust him Carina, if I don't support him now there's no telling what he will do. There used to be an honour among criminals, but not anymore, this is survival, this is war, and we will do what we have to. Remember, you're a Maroni. _Non cedere mai_." he eyed me sternly.

"Si." I replied, then realising what I had said, I finished in English "Yeah, you're right." I sighed before taking a sip from the bottle of water I had been fidgeting with since we sat down.

"So, are you going to tell me how you got those bruises and cut lip?" his eyes darted from me, to Edward, and then back to me.

"The same as always, Sal. I had too much to drink and much more to prove, I just pissed off the wrong person." I lied. "You know what I'm like, trouble just seems to find me."

He eyed me silently before he aimed his words towards Edward "Do me a favour, and keep an eye on her while she's with you?"

Before Edward could reply I jumped straight in, speaking in Italian so Edward didn't have to hear an embarrassing family argument. "Jesus, Sal. I don't need a fucking minder." I snapped. "I am a grown woman and I can look after myself."

"Obviously not, Carina." he replied in Italian, his voice significantly louder that it was before "I vowed to look out for you, and you can throw the concern I'm showing you back in my face as much as you like, but it's not going to stop me. You're my only niece and I will sure as hell make sure you're not coming to any more harm. Now are you going to tell me the truth about what happened?"

"I would just rather not go into it." I replied meekly.

"You know I am here for you, Carina. You only have to give the nod, you know that? I just want you to be safe."

I felt pangs of guilt, I knew what he was trying to say, and I knew that he would always be concerned, plus seeing me cut and bruised was probably a shock to him. I was just stubborn, and wanted to keep up the pretence that I didn't need anyone.

"I'm sorry, Sal." I said, reverting back to English as I grabbed his hand and squeezed gently. "I have had a shit couple of days and I am over sensitive right now. Can we talk about this another time though, preferably when we won't make certain people uncomfortable by having intense family conversations?" I bumped my shoulder against Edward as I said it, and it was met with a slight chuckle from them both as Sal nodded in agreement.

"Well thank god for that." said Edward "I was just thinking of a believable excuse to leave, you have saved me the trouble my dear. Also, what is it about you Italians that makes you talk so fast?"

"Shut up." I laughed.

The curtains to the booth suddenly flew open, and I was greeted with Ozzy and Sionis finishing up a conversation. Sionis walked towards my Uncle and extended his hand. "All the finer details have been decided on, I will be in touch with what I need from you and your niece." Sal took his hand and shook it. "Of course, just give the word." Sal replied.

He brought his gaze over to me "It was a pleasure to meet you, Carina. I have heard a lot about you, I look forward to seeing what you and your... friend can actually do." I heard Ozzy puff out a snort of air as Sionis referred to Edward as my 'friend', the twinges of rage started to creep up.

"It was good to meet you too and thank you for this opportunity." I sounded like I was reading from a script, but Sal smiled and nodded at my sudden obedience, little did he know that I was actually trying my hardest to keep my anger, and fear hidden.

Sionis walked away, flanked by two of his biggest henchmen, leaving an awkward silence at the table as Ozzy eyed us all.

Sal broke the silence, "Well, I guess I should get going too. I have a busy week ahead of me." he leaned over and pecked a kiss on my cheek." _Non cedere mai_, Cari." he whispered before he pulled away to shake Edward and Ozzy's hands, and he walked away.

"Carina, can I have a word before you leave please? Edward, you can go on ahead." Ozzy asked, without any trace of emotion on his face.

"If it's all right with you Oswald, I will wait for Cari, that is if she wishes to speak to you at all. We arrived together, so it would be easier if we took the same car home." Edward replied, keeping his voice strong and completely stern. I felt flutters of affection in my stomach that he was being so wonderfully protective.

"As you wish." Ozzy snapped, and walked back towards his office.

"Thank you." I mouthed to Edward as I rose to walk away, he responded with a simple nod.

I entered Ozzy's office and my anxiety increased with every breath I took. He calmly closed the door behind me and gestured to a seat at the table, and I swiftly took a seat folding my hands into my lap, held my head high and tried to look as calm as possible. Ozzy sat in the chair opposite me and held his head in his hands; we sat in silence for a few moments before he finally spoke.

"I'm sorry, Cari." it came out quiet, and wobbly, but I knew him well enough to know it was genuine. I didn't react, I was determined to stay strong, and stand my ground. I wouldn't cave this easily; I wouldn't cave after 3 words.

"I didn't mean to hurt you; I didn't mean to say the things I did. I never meant to put you in that situation." he grabbed my hands and held them in his own, his thumb slowly stroking my skin, his eyes looked up at me, pleading. I was a sucker for the puppy eyes. Part of me wanted to pull him into a hug and tell him he was forgiven, and another side was repeating what my Uncle had said to me about being a Maroni - Never back down.

I slowly moved my hands away. "But. You. Did." my words came out quietly, but harshly. I took my time saying each word with as much hate as I could muster.

"Oh god Cari, please, just let me explain..." he began; a sudden look of panic overtook his face.

_Explain? What the fuck could he possibly explain? _The rage started to boil up inside of me again.

"No!" I shouted, which made him jump in his seat. I felt the sudden urge of empowerment rush over me. "I don't want an explanation from you. All you would say is 'I was drunk' or 'I was jealous' or some other bullshit that means nothing." I pointed my finger at his face as anger twisted my features. "You insulted me, you intimidated me, you bashed my head and you fucking left me with bruises after you decided to try and choke me. Do you think 'I'm Sorry' and a half-arsed explanation would make things okay again? Did you think that things would go back to how they were after that?" I didn't realise that I was now standing over him and I had never felt so tall.

"Cari, please. Please don't leave." he said frantically "I need you right now, please don't do this. You have to forgive me. You have no idea what I'm going through. I'm so sorry Cari, I need you." He grabbed onto the bottom of my jacket, and tugged to pull me down towards him.

_Jesus, is he begging?_

"You have me Ozzy..." I began, prising his hands from my clothes "...for this job, and nothing else. You should count your blessings that I am even talking to you. Whatever we had, whatever we could have had – you killed when you slammed me against that wall. I forgave you leaving me; I still wanted you after you broke my heart, but this – this is something else entirely. You fucked this, well and truly." I started to walk towards the door holding my head high, it felt good to have the upper hand for once and to take control of the situation.

I took a look back at him, his head was in his hands again and he was looking at the floor like a wounded puppy. Something inside me couldn't stop the next words from leaving my mouth, a twisted part of me wanted to give one last parting shot to make him hurt just as much as I did.

"Oh, and Ozzy?" he looked up to meet my eyes; his own were full of pleading. "You were actually right about Edward."

I didn't wait to see his reaction; I just walked quickly out of the room and closed the door behind me. I took a few moments to catch my breath before I made my way towards the booth where Edward was patiently waiting for me, the happy flutter in my stomach had returned just from seeing his face.

"Come on." I said smiling at him "Let's get going, I am done here."

He didn't say a word, but smiled back at me and we walked towards the exit, his hand was again resting on the small of my back.

I was aware of Ozzy watching us from the observation window, and for the first time in my life, I didn't look back, and I didn't care.


	10. Chapter 10 - Flashback

_Five Years Earlier_

As I blinked my eyes open and looked into the darkness I was aware that my whole body ached, I was covered in cuts and bruises, and I was pretty sure I had at least a few broken ribs – as each breath I took hurt so much it brought tears to my eyes. I had taken a pretty hefty knock on the head, and all I could hear through the silence of the room was the ringing in my ears. My hands were tightly tied to the back of the chair I was sitting in, there wasn't enough give to even wriggle my wrists. The same could be said for my feet, they were secured so tight that I had long lost the feeling in my toes. I was tempted to try and wriggle free, but I knew that it would be in vain, and I would probably hurt myself more in the process. My hair was stuck to the side of my face, from a mixture of blood, sweat and dried mud, there was metallic taste of blood in my mouth made me want to vomit, and I concluded that I was a mess and I was in serious trouble.

The room was pitch black, I could barely make out shapes of my surroundings. I couldn't tell how long I had been kept here, or how long I had even been unconscious. I opened my mouth to call out but my throat was so dry that it was painful, so instead of a shout I croaked out a pathetic sob.

_Where the hell am I? _

I tried to remember what had happened, and how I had got here. I remembered leaving my flat, and going to meet Ozzy. I remembered a van, I remembered men grabbing me, I remembered being hit on the head and then… nothing. I drew a blank.

_What the fuck is going on? Why the fuck am I here, and who the fuck were those men?_

Hearing footsteps approaching, my body tensed and panic quickly overtook me. I my heart started to beat harder than I had ever felt, and I thought it was going to punch clean through my chest. The footsteps got closer and came to a sudden stop, I heard a sliding metal lock grinding and I was suddenly blinded by a bright light hitting my eyes from the now open door.

"Looks like the princess is awake." Came a gruff south London accent. "How you feelin' sweetheart?" the voice asked me. I tried to make out the face of the man talking to me, but my eyes were still adjusting to the light and my eyes were swollen from being hit. I remained silent as a skinny weasel of a man came into focus, roughly grabbed my hair and yanked my head up. He was wearing a wrinkled suit that smelled like cigarette smoke, he had messy blonde hair, yellowed teeth and a sneer that made my skin crawl. I was aware of a few other people in the room, but couldn't make them out even if I had wanted to.

"Silent treatment, ay?" he said as he forced me to look at him "and here I was hoping that you would be a good girl and talk to us."

"Wh-" I began, croaking out a few syllables "What do you want?"

"Ah! She does have a voice." He laughed; this was joined by chuckles from the other men in the room "I only want something simple, something that could make this process easier, princess. I wan't to know where your friend Cobblepot is with our money, and I want the data he had you steal for him."

I snapped my head away from his hand. He roughly grabbed my face again, digging his fingers into my cheek. I let out a quiet sob as he looked me in the eyes.

"I will ask you one question. Where is Cobblepot and the data?"

"I-I don't know. I don't know what he does, or where he is. I don't know anything, I just got him the data and handed it over. I didn't even look at what he wanted me to get, I don't any any information I can give you." I said, my voice wobbling with fear.

"Well you will stay here until he shows himself, or you get a sudden moment of clarity." He snapped as he released my face. Quick as a flash, before I had time to realise what was happening or had any time to protest, he punched me in the face, knocking me out cold.

It seemed like I had been in the room forever, time seemed to stand still. The skinny man and his friends continued to come in and out of the room, ask me questions about Ozzy and hit me when I couldn't give them what they wanted. They now seemed to be getting desperate, and the beatings had become more severe, I was starting to come to the realisation that they would never let me go. When I wasn't whimpering in pain, I was crying through sheer desperation, the answers I was giving them weren't good enough, and I didn't know what else I could say to them to make them believe me.

I was so weak that I could barely hold up my own head, I had dried blood, sweat and spit all over me, and I was soaked in urine – as me using the bathroom was out of the question. I already had sores on my wrists from trying to struggle free from my restraints. I was yet again in the middle of being interrogated by the skinny man, I had to hold back from shouting in his face that he should 'go fuck his mother' like I had previously, as outbursts like that had resulted in harsher punishments. I wasn't stupid enough to make that mistake again.

"We have been told that you're the only person he's close to, we have been told that he actually cares about you. You're also the sneaky little cunt that got the information for him. That's why you're here. You have to know where he is and what that information is, stop giving us the babe in the woods routine, and just fucking tell us." He kept a firm grip on my face, as his free hand reached into his pocket. I whimpered as I saw what he was reaching for – a cut-throat razor.

I instantly began to cry and struggle under his grip, he sneered as he saw the panic in my eyes. "Listen to this lads, the princess is starting to get scared. Good, fear makes people talkative."

"I've already told you, I don't know anything. You have to believe me, don't you think I would have talked by now if I knew anything?" I sobbed.

He picked up the razor and brought it to my face, he smiled as he saw the fear return to my eyes and began to laugh as I started to cry.

"I don't believe you, but even so - I want to hear you scream, so this has now just become a game for me. Plus, my friend Tom over there, is recording this to send to your boyfriend. I'm sure he will love the show." He gestured to a shadow standing behind him, I couldn't be sure he was actually filming but it was probably true.

"Please, don't." I begged, tears streaming down my face. My whole body was trembling, I was absolutely terrified.

He ignored my plea and brought the blade up to my face, and he slowly drew the blade across my brow and the blood started to instantly pour down my face. The searing pain of the blade cutting into my flesh made me want to pass out, he cut so deep that the blade connected with the bone underneath. I wanted to throw up, and pass out. Instead I screamed loudly for the first time since I had been there. He laughed at his success in making me scream, and this was joined once again by trickles of laughter coming from whoever else was in the room.

The sound of someone running towards us broke his gaze from mine, as a panting voice called out to him. "Boss, you need to hear this."

He walked towards the young lad who had run towards him, and nodded as something was whispered in his ear. I heard him swear a few times and he threw the blade on the floor in a fit of rage, before he spoke to the other men in the room.

"Someone here has mad a monumental fuck-up. We have to cut her loose." He demanded

"But, she hasn't talked yet boss, and we don't have Cobblepot." One of the guards piped up.

"That's true." He began "but what someone failed to mention to me is that she is Alberto fucking Maroni's daughter." He was practically seething and he shouted the last few words of the sentence, he obviously didn't want to get caught up in whatever my remaining family were in to, and even though my father was dead, his name still carried weight in the criminal underworld. I was under the impression that he knew who I was when they took me, but now it was becoming clear that he thought I was just another girlfriend of Ozzy's and had no idea of my parentage. "Why the fuck didn't anyone know this?" he shouted at his men, his question was met by silence.

He stormed over to me, and grabbed my face again. "It's a shame I can't kill you." He whispered into my ear "I would love to see how your boyfriend would react to seeing you flayed."

He started to walk out of the room. "Get her the fuck out of here." He snarled.

* * *

I had withdrawn to my room as soon as we had left the lounge. I assured Edward that I was okay, and that I just needed some time to myself. After the adrenaline of shouting at Ozzy had worn off, I started to feel the pangs of guilt again. My stomach churned, I couldn't eat, and my heart felt like a brick in my chest. I had concluded that I was truly messed up in the head, constantly bouncing between range, affection and guilt when it came to him. We had been through so much as friends, I was finding it hard to let go. It was like I was brainwashed, and after the moments of clarity I would slowly start falling back into the pattern of being devoted to him.

I lay on my bed with my eyes closed and thought back to those 3 days I spent tied up and beaten. The scar above my eye was a constant reminder of my loyalty to Ozzy, I had endured so much on his behalf, taken all that pain, and not once did I give in to them. Not once did I tell them where he was or what the information I had consisted of. I knew all along of course, but I would never - ever break. Even now, if the same thing happened, I was sure that I would never sell him out, my loyalty was far too deep rooted. Something had snapped inside me that day, and nothing would ever change that.

Ozzy had come to see me in the hospital after the thugs had let me go, he was so gentle and caring. It was then that I realised that I had truly fallen for him, he was more than my best friend – I loved him. It felt so good when I finally admitted it to myself, and even more when I said it to him a few nights after I was discharged from hospital. The way he had kissed me after I said it, the way he smiled as he pulled me into his arms made me feel happier than I ever had been. We had kissed so many times before that, but this time it was different, it was passionate and romantic. We had made love for the first time that night, I truly gave every atom of my being to him. I was his, completely.

Now, there was nothing but pain and disappointment left. He was no longer the gentle, funny and caring man I fell in love with. He was warping into something different. He was sadistic, angry, paranoid and possessive. His mood swings were becoming worse, extreme highs and lows, that you could never predict changing. The way he pawed at the women around him made me feel sick, in the past he was always so respectful. Hell, it had taken him years to even pluck up the courage to kiss me. Now he was becoming a lecherous pig, I wasn't sure if it was power, his mental state, or Gotham itself that was changing him, but it was making me uneasy. There was something about this city, something dark that consumed you if you let so much as an ounce of wickedness into your heart.

I wiped stray tears from my cheeks, and took a few deep breaths. I wouldn't let this get me down any more than it had. I was stronger than this, I was better than this - I repeated to myself. I had family and friends around me who cared, a gorgeous and intelligent man who seemed to like me back, and a new life in Gotham that I had to start living. I felt like I had to talk to someone who wasn't directly involved. As much as I loved Rosa and I was really starting to trust Eddie. I needed to talk to someone who knew nothing about any of us, so I got get some impartial advice and possibly some professional help.

My eyes fell to the business card that had been on my night-stand for what seemed like forever, the black and red text stood out on the off white card it was printed on. Maybe I should give Harleen a call.


End file.
